Ruri went to the Hokage Building, and it didn't take long for her to return home.
When she came back, Shiraishi saw Ruri holding a scroll in her hand, which she casually tossed to him.
"Thanks."
Shiraishi didn't act coy and caught the scroll directly.
"Just hurry up and figure out Sage Mode."
"That's actually quite difficult, given the lack of information on Sage Mode. Even if I could just draw some inspiration, if I had the Sage Mode systems of the Three Great Sage Regions to study, it would undoubtedly be a huge help to my work."
"Give up. Unless you've signed a summoning contract with one of the Three Great Sage Regions, it's hard to even find them, let alone obtain Sage Mode from there."
"In that case, the Sannin truly are uniquely blessed ninja."
The rumor of the Konoha Sannin having close ties to the Three Great Sage Regions was nothing new.
Not only were they Hokage disciples, but they also had the backing of the Three Great Sage Regions, which was something ordinary ninja could never hope to achieve in their lifetime.
"But even the Sannin, I haven't heard of any of them successfully mastering Sage Mode."
"Of course, I don't know if the Sage Mode cultivated by summon animals is different from the Sage Mode I'm researching, but the fusion of natural energy and ordinary chakra indeed carries a considerable risk. Things could go really wrong and people could die."
Shiraishi sat down in the room, took a sip of tea, and then unrolled the scroll in his hand.
The beginning of the scroll recorded the developer and name of the ninjutsu.
Spirit Transformation Technique.
Developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
According to the records, the Spirit Transformation Technique is a ninjutsu that allows the soul to leave the body, travel regardless of distance, and directly kill enemies.
However, after the soul leaves the body, the spiritual body retains the caster's consciousness. Therefore, this ninjutsu has a wide range of uses, not only for combat, but also for things like transmitting intelligence, large-scale sensory perception, and even transferring chakra to allies. The Spirit Transformation Technique can accomplish all of these.
It must be said that the previous Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who developed this ninjutsu, was a respectable figure.
It's a shame he reportedly died on the battlefield during the First Great Ninja War.
Shiraishi strongly agreed with many of the Second Hokage's ideas.
Building the Ninja Academy, establishing the Anbu organization, dividing and suppressing ninja clans, elevating the status of commoners, creating various secret techniques and ninjutsu belonging to the Konoha style... His influence was seen in politics, science, and military fields, where he was a pioneer, and his innovations were imitated by ninja villages in other countries.
The era of one country, one village was initiated by the Senju and Uchiha clans, but this system was actually just a title, lacking substance. If not for the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, the so-called ninja villages... if you think about it, were no different from the chaotic situation of ninja clans carving up territories during the Warring States period.
It wasn't until the Second Hokage took office and implemented a series of groundbreaking reforms that this distorted structure of ninja clans ruling villages slowly began to change for the better, using the commoner class to check the ninja clan class. From then on, all factions in Konoha formed a stable balance, mutually checking and relying on each other.
The methods of maintaining balance were truly admirable.
The only regrettable thing was that there was no continuation.
With the outbreak of the First Great Ninja War and the passing of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, even if he still had unfulfilled ambitions and ideals in his heart, he could only let them go with the wind, entrusting the future of the village to the current Third Hokage.
As for the Third Hokage, Shiraishi didn't know much about him, perhaps because the brilliance of the Second Hokage overshadowed many of the Third Hokage's accomplishments.
After all, many systems were already perfected during the Second Hokage's era, making it difficult for later generations to surpass their predecessors, so he could only look forward to what amazing feats the Third Hokage might achieve in the future.
After thinking about all this, Shiraishi took the scroll of the Spirit Transformation Technique and returned to the underground laboratory.
He had already injected natural energy into the test subject and needed some time to observe and collect data.
So, it was time to consider the problem of the 'Caged Bird' curse mark.
Shiraishi had actually been researching the Caged Bird for some time, but due to missing data and the incomplete analysis of chakra's deeper structure, progress in this area had been stalled for a long time.
According to Ayane, once the Caged Bird is imprinted, it stays with the person for life and is only removed at the time of death.
That is to say, the Caged Bird can be released under the condition of 'death'.
So, what kind of 'death' is this death?
Body or soul?
What characteristics is chakra endowed with in this process?
Humans are born with chakra, and losing chakra leads to death.
If Ayane were to enter a state of death due to chakra depletion, would the Caged Bird be removed?
Of course, this death wouldn't be true death, but a state of suspended animation similar to death.
Afterward, chakra would be repeatedly supplied to Ayane, allowing her to awaken from the state of suspended animation.
The premise for doing this experiment is to first verify a certain point.
That is, after a person loses chakra... do they really die?
If a person doesn't necessarily die after losing chakra, then... how does chakra come about?
Why does it become the essential life energy for human survival?
Is death from losing chakra a physical death or a soul death?
Is it possible for humans to enter a very peculiar state of suspended animation after losing chakra, and then be revived by being given chakra again? Can such a thing actually be achieved?
If all of these could be confirmed through experimentation, then eliminating the Caged Bird might no longer be a problem.
It would also resolve many of the doubts in Shiraishi's mind.
Shiraishi carefully recorded these conjectures one by one in his portable notebook.
Science, after all, requires questions before conjectures can be made, and then those conjectures can be proven right or wrong.
Therefore, research into soul ninjutsu is very necessary.
The only relatively troublesome thing is that it is currently a time of war, and he might be sent out on missions at any time, leaving him no time to conduct experiments here.
◎
Listening to the eerie, painful screams emanating from the test subject on the operating table, they were so agonizing that he wanted to shout but couldn't make a sound. He felt as if his throat was about to tear from screaming, yet he could only hear the faint sounds of his own struggles on the operating table.
Shiraishi calmly watched the test subject on the operating table convulsing violently, their face twisted in pain, his eyes devoid of emotion. With practiced movements, he cut a piece of skin from their arm that had been corroded by natural energy. The skin was a faint green color. He placed it in a container and observed it under a microscope.
Then, he looked at the computer's light screen, which displayed in real-time the test subject's heart rate on the operating table, and the fluctuation values generated after natural energy merged with chakra.
These test subjects went from being uncooperative at first to becoming broken, expressionless puppets, their eyes devoid of even fear.
Regarding this, Shiraishi felt it was a bit of a miscalculation.
He hadn't expected that the fusion of natural energy and chakra within the human body would cause such a terrifying mental and physical impact on the individual.
Therefore, whenever a test subject showed signs of mental breakdown, the experiment was promptly stopped, they were given a sedative, and another test subject was brought in.
This repeatable and sustainable utilization also saved on expenses.
Shiraishi looked at the other few people trembling by the wall and shook his head. Really, these guys had no spirit of self-sacrifice for science.
If his experiment succeeded, these people could instantly transform from ordinary people into ordinary people filled with Sage Mode chakra. Although they wouldn't know any ninjutsu, their vitality, strength, speed, and reaction time would all undergo a qualitative improvement.
He couldn't say anything else, but living to a hundred years old should not be a problem.
As for immortality... Shiraishi thought to himself with a sigh, he was really getting more and more outlandish with his thoughts.
"Research on natural energy is basically almost done here. Sage Mode chakra still needs further data extrapolation and an increase in fusion success rate. Next, I can focus on the problem of the Caged Bird curse mark..."
Hmm? Wait a minute!
Shiraishi suddenly discovered a very serious problem: how could he collect detailed physical data of Ayane in her current state?
He was currently residing in the Uchiha clan compound, while Ayane was a Hyuga clan ninja.
If he brought Ayane over and Ruri accidentally found out... a cold sweat involuntarily broke out on Shiraishi's face.
He quickly calculated his survival rate if he were discovered.